A worker cleans the cement-concrete talab on the temple premises in Ashok Nagar, Ranchi, on Monday for Chhath. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Godliness is next to cleanliness if you are willing to pay.

Ashok Nagar — an elite neighbourhood in the heart of Ranchi with 500 homes belonging to retired state and central officials, doctors, professors and engineers among others — will celebrate Chhath in a special cement-concrete talab on the local temple premises.

The four-feet-deep, 20-feet-wide and 24-feet-long pond will offer a two-feet-wide ghat to 43 lucky devotees who have been selected by the temple management on the basis of advance applications. Each is being charged a fee of Rs 500 for necessary arrangements like cleaning the pond and illuminating the ghats so that morning and evening prayers can be held without hassles.

Rakesh Kumar Jha, appointed by the temple management to make Chhath arrangements, said the pond was cleaned on Monday and would be ready for use by Tuesday, the eve of the main puja.

“To clean and refill the talab with fresh water, a 5hp pump has been connected to underground water sources,” Jha said, adding that this was the 10th year of Chhath celebrations at the pond. “The talab was built because most other natural and manmade water bodies in Ranchi are rotting in neglect.”

Temple priest Babulal Pandey said their priority was to offer devotees a clean place for prayers. “Cleanliness is next to godliness. On Chhath, our temple draws many vratis. Devotees prefer this place because there is no fear of drowning in the shallow pond, which also has clean water where arghya can be offered. This year, more than 50 people had applied for ghat space. We could make room for only 43. We are sorry to disappoint those who applied late,” he added.

B.P. Verma, a local resident and retired professor of zoology at Gauhati University, said he had booked two spots at the ghat. “The temple pond is an ideal place for Chhath prayers. It is away from the madding crowd and traffic, and offers a peaceful and clean ambience for puja. I booked much in advance because I did not want to perform rituals while jostling for elbowroom on filthy riverbanks,” he said.

Arundhati Jha, a librarian at Gurunanak Higher Secondary School, echoed Verma. “The best thing is that ghat spots can also be booked by outsiders for the standing fee. However, they would need recommendation of a local resident,” she said.

Retired Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals regional sales manager D.N. Jha, who is a resident of neighbouring Ashok Ashram, has booked a temple talab spot for his better half and Chhath vrati Vinita Jha.

“The crowd at Ashok Nagar is cultured and disciplined. Both management and security arrangements are reliable. There is no unwarranted rush either. So, with the help of local resident Nirmala Jha, I booked the ghat for my wife,” he said.

Do you support reservation of ghats in lieu of money?

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